statement(s)

My current work is the result of the research and experimentation with CAD-CAM/RPT,
that I have taken part in while working toward my Masters at Tyler. The
specific body of work that makes up my thesis show, made with
that technology, stems from my concerns regarding the changing role
of the home in our society, the problems of neutral decor
and a growing sameness in America.

These objects are alternatives to the default fixtures that quietly
populate your home. They are the bits of hardware that cover the
holes in your walls. From the ubiquitous outlet plate and the
hidden hinge to the light fixtures mindlessly stamped from sheet metal that were
on sale for $7.99 at Home Depot. These are the forgotten
punctuation marks in the statement of your home. In the same way a
mail carrier can walk invisibly through a neighborhood, the
fixtures that you use throughout the day pass under your fingers
and before your eyes without notice.

These objects have the potential to give the owner a moment of
individuality - a fleeting, but recurring moment of realization or
recognition with each use that this is their space. A personal,
intimate place.

The possibilities of telecommuting and home-based
businesses offer an exciting opportunity to many people. Such
lifestyles can help encourage and justify the detailing and
decorating of the living/working space. Rather than simply being
the place for your bed and refrigerator, it gains a greater
importance as you spend more of your day living in that place.

At the same time, many residences are ephemeral. Our
American culture has become very mobile and modular. The
frequency and ease with which we can change homes, jobs, and
cities has engendered a sameness across the land. Malls,
corporate franchises and housing developments with their
oppressive, but resalable, neutral decor are installed in every
town. An interesting term culled from the pages of Wired
magazine, Generica (i.e. The United States of Generica), sums
up this generic predicament well. In many ways, we can unplug
our lives from one place and plug ourselves in somewhere else
without missing a beat. What we plug in should define that
anonymous space as our own, not only on a large, easily viewed
scale, but also on an intimate level of detail that enriches the day
to day experience. Creating an island of specificity in a sea of
Generica.

Schema is a collection of objects, the designs of which are
based upon schematic symbols or abstractions. Some symbols
are from architectural blueprints. Some are icons determined by
international standards committees. Others are abstractions of
mathematical concepts. All of the schemata are generic,
2-dimensional marks. This show is a presentation of my
translation of these schema into specific, 3-dimensional objects for the home.

plug in: The objects in this show are designed to be portable and modular, to be easily plugged in to the systems that already exist in a regular home. The ability to affect the living space without knocking down walls was an important part of their design.[return]